The Caithness Area Committee of the Highland Council has nominated Cllr Bill Fernie as their representative on the Board of Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise (CASE).
Bill represents the West Wick ward and is the Area Committee's chairman of Housing and Social Work. A local businessman, Bill runs Scorrie Internet Services (www.scorrie.co.uk) with his son Niall. The business provides a variety of internet services to organisations, including www.caithness-business.co.uk and manages the award-winning www.caithness.org website, the community website for the region.
A former civil servant with Scottish Education and the Inland Revenue, Bill also has a keen interest in the voluntary sector. He is an unpaid director of Highland Housing and Community Care Trust - an organisation involved in the building of houses for the frail elderly and disabled people. Bill is also a director of Highland Prospect, which is an investment company of The Highland Council.
Originally from Edinburgh, Bill moved to Caithness in 1981 with his wife and two children.
Bill attended his first CASE board meeting last week, which was a joint event with the Board of Orkney Enterprise in Kirkwall. Commenting on his new appointment, Bill said: "I am delighted to be joining the Board of CASE and hope that I can have some influence on the future well-being of the area."
Welcoming Bill to the Board, CASE chairperson Pat Buchanan said: "I am delighted to welcome Bill Fernie to the Board of CASE as the Caithness representative of the Highland Council.
"Bill is strongly committed to the well-being and effective development of the area. He brings extensive experience gained from his work in housing, health and the voluntary sector, which will be of particular benefit to the Board.
"He is joining at an interesting and challenging time and I am sure that he will make a strong contribution across the full range of issues involved in the Board's approach to growing the economies of Caithness and Sutherland."